The Anamosa Custom Wood Shop recently completed the refinishing of six benches for the City of Osceola’s historic Amtrak train depot.
The train depot was originally built in 1907, and the benches are likely original to the depot. The City of Osceola took ownership of the depot from the Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railroad in 2007. While the historic depot is the busiest Amtrak stop in Iowa, it was in disrepair. The City of Osceola had the depot listed on the National Register of Historic Places and soon began to restore the depot inside and out to better serve its passengers. The non-profit Friends of the Osceola Depot was also formed to assist the city in fundraising efforts for the restoration.
Great care was taken in the Custom Wood shop to ensure the benches maintained their historic look and feel during the restoration process. Staff and incarcerated employees in the shops were extremely pleased with the restored benches, but most importantly, the customer is happy with IPI’s work as well. Ann Diehl, President of the Friends of the Osceola Depot, said everyone is amazed at how well the benches turned out.
Much work has been completed over the last nine years at the Osceola Train Depot both outside and inside to bring it to its current state. Besides the bench restoration, other recent interior work includes the restoration of the doors, wainscoting and a sliding ticket window. The City of Osceola plans to hold an open house this summer to celebrate the all the work that has been completed.